


Card Trick

by EmberForge



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Gen, Humor, No Spoilers, just lighthearted fun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-09-24 15:21:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17103095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmberForge/pseuds/EmberForge
Summary: Molly always preferred children customers. Adults were always so grave and mistrustful. Kids were happy with whatever trick you showed them, the crazier the better.





	1. Chapter 1

“Jester, we had the whole day yesterday to do whatever you wanted. Why couldn’t you have picked up your ink then?”

“ _Because_ Fjord, the shop was closed! Besides, it’s a beautiful day outside, and who doesn’t like shopping?”

Molly smirked as he helped Caleb narrowly avoid a hurrying young woman. The wizard’s nose was buried in a new spell book that he had just picked up the other day, and it was clear he was most certainly not aware of anything going on around him. “I completely agree! You should never miss an opportunity to treat yourself. Right, Caleb?”

“Hmm? Oh, ah, ya.” His eyes didn’t leave his book.

Fjord let out a sigh as he scanned the bustling crowd around them, his shoulders sagging slightly in defeat.

"Mr. Molly, Mr. Molly!" The call made them stop in their tracks, and after a moment two dirty faces separated themselves from the crowd as they ran towards the Nein. They came to a halt right in front of Molly, their eyes glittering with excitement. "Look what we got!" From within their pockets they fished out a handful of copper pieces, with a couple of silver gleaming in the mix. "And that was only yesterday!"

"That's some fantastic work, kids," Molly said, flashing them an encouraging smile.

"Uhh, Molly? You wanna introduce us to your friends?" Beau asked.

"Of course! Mighty Nein, meet Tam and Connor," he said, pointing respectively to the half-elf child and human boy in front of them. "Kids, meet my friends, the Mighty Nein."

"Hiya," Connor chirped, and Tam gave a wave from his side.

"So, how'd you meet Molly?" Fjord asked the pair.

"He was doing cool card tricks in the market!" Connor exclaimed excitedly.

"He was guessing lots of people's cards, and he got them right every time!" Tam added. "He was makin' lots of coin from it. And then when he saw us, he decided to teach us so that we could do it too. He even gave us a deck of cards- look!" The child pulled out a ratty deck of cards that Molly must have picked up in a curiosity shop.

"Oh my gosh, that is _so_ cool!" Jester exclaimed excitedly. "Could you guess a card for me?"

"Yeah, sure!" Tam started fanning out the cards in front of them. "When you're ready, tap a card in the deck. Then pull it out, read it to yourself, and stick it back in somewhere else." Jester did so, looking at the card and passing it over to Nott to see before returning it to the deck. "Okay! Now I'll start shuffling, and when you tell me to stop, I'll stop!"

"Aaaaaaand... stop!"

Tam took the top card from the deck, briefly glancing at it. "Was your card... the six of hearts?" they asked, revealing the face of the card.

Jester clapped her hands together and gasped. "It was! Wow, you guys are _so_ good." She reached into her coin purse and handed over a gold coin.

"Wow! Thanks!" Connor exclaimed, grabbing the coin and stuffing it into his pocket.

"Two aspiring performers like yourselves deserve it," Molly said, pulling out another gold and handing it to Tam. "Now, you two should run off. I heard that it's market day today. You're sure to find plenty of customers there."

"Thank you Mr. Molly!" Tam said excitedly.

"See you later!" Connor added, and the two of them disappeared back into the crowd.

"Was that really wise to teach them how to swindle people?" Fjord asked once they were out of earshot.

"Oh come on, it's harmless! Everyone likes a bit of magic in their lives now and then. No one's going to be paying them if they don't want to be entertained."

"I suppose so... " Fjord trailed off.

“You’re just grumpy because you don’t actually want to be shopping right now,” Nott pointed out from Caleb’s side.

“WHAT??? Fjord!”

“I did NOT say that! I did not say that. Look, Jester...”

Molly snickered as he idly shuffled his own cards between his fingers, quickly becoming reabsorbed into the group’s bantering.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One day previous...

Today was a glorious day. The Mighty Nein were enjoying some downtime in Zadash, and currently most of the Nein were scattered about the city shopping. Molly's own list was short, and after collecting the items he needed he had decided to brush up on some of his old carnival tricks in the city center.

He'd drawn quite a decent crowd amongst all the bustling between stalls and shops. He'd read fortunes, predict cards pulled from his deck- anything to entertain the masses. Men and women would pull their significant others away from their errands to watch him work, and he managed to reluctantly impress even the most stoic of faces. And of course, a wide assortment of children stood gaping in amazement at his tricks, their parents content to leave them occupied while they continued to shop.

Molly always preferred children customers for his fortune telling. Adults were always so grave, wanting to know who their soulmate was or if there was certain doom in their future. Kids were happy with whatever story you told them, the crazier the better. He liked that lighthearted spirit. They weren't like adults, who regarded him with veiled expressions and false politeness. They showed every emotion on their face, good or bad. They were too innocent to be guarded.

 _'Except for when the world has been less than kind,'_ Molly observed as a pair of children at the back of the crowd caught his eye. He casually continued to work through his routine as he watched them out of the corner of his eye. They were smudged with dirt, and their clothing was simple and fraying at the cuffs. The first child's eyes seemed to dart around to everyone but Mollymauk, keeping an eye out while the second one casually wandered closer to a man in a seeming attempt to see the performance better, only to subtly reach into the pouch on the man's belt and pull out some coins. Pausing for a moment to make sure they went unnoticed, the child then carefully made their way back over to their friend. They briefly discussed something, and it was as they were about to run off that Molly made his decision.

"I need a new volunteer for this next part... you in the back, with the brown cap! How would you like to do some magic?"

The kids froze, and after one whispered something to the other, the one in the brown cap, the lookout, made their way through the crowd. It was only when they got closer that Molly noticed the slightly pointed ears peeking out of the cap, marking the child as a half-elf.

“Wonderful! Everyone give a hand for our young volunteer!” The crowd gave a smattering of applause as the child reached Molly’s side. “And what do I call you, kid?”

“Tam. My name’s Tam.” The child was soft spoken, but their voice was steady.

“So nice to meet you, Tam. Now. I’m going to close my eyes and shuffle this deck of cards. Whenever you say stop, I’ll stop. Then you pick a card, read it to yourself and show the our wonderful audience here, then stick it back in the deck, anywhere you’d like. Alright?”

“Okay.”

Molly proceeded to close his eyes and start shuffling. After a good minute, the child finally called out a “Stop!” Molly waited until he felt the card being slipped back into the deck, before shuffling some more and pulling out a single card with a flourish. “Okay. The moment of truth! Is... this your card?” 

Tam’s eyes widened slightly before growing dim at the sight of the card Molly held up. “No, that’s not it.”

Molly ignored the muttering of the crowd as he rifled through his cards thoughtfully. “Huh. I was sure that was it...” he suddenly looked up and studied the child intently. “Wait. I think I know what happened.” He reached behind Tam’s ear and used some slight of hand and a bit of thaumaturgy to create a puff of smoke as a new card appeared in his hand. “Is THIS your card?”

Tam broke out into a wide grin. “The eight of spades! Yes!”

The audience broke out into applause as the card was displayed for them to see, and Molly grinned. “Thank you, thank you! And please, one more round of applause for the lovely Tam!” Some of The children in the crowd gave some cheers. “That’s all the tricks I have for you today. If you liked it, I certainly take tips, and if you didn’t, here’s a tip for you- lighten up and have more fun! Have a fabulous rest of your day!”

The crowd dispersed, leaving quite a few copper and silver coins at Molly’s feet. He made sure to keep Tam near him as they left. “Here,” he said, handing the kid half the coin, amused by the shocked expression he received in return. “You were my assistant after all. I never could have pulled that trick off without you. You deserve it.” Tam hastily shoved the coins into his pocket right as the other boy they were with walked over, and the trio were left alone. 

“That was a really neat trick, sir.” the boy said as he approached, trading a glance with his friend as the kid tucked the coins away.

“Please, call me Molly. And what might your name be?”

“I’m Connor,” the boy said.

“Well, Connor, Tam, I couldn’t help but notice that you two are quite good at tricks yourselves.” The two kids looked alarmed, and Molly was quick to reassure them. “Nothing to worry about- I understand completely. But one of these days you might get caught, and that won’t be any fun. So I thought I might ask- how would you like to learn a more honest trick or two?” He pulled out a second, more battered deck of cards from one of the many pockets of his coat.

“Really? Yes please, Mr. Molly!” Tam exclaimed, as Connor nodded vigorously beside them.

“Alright then! Let’s start with an easy one...”

**Author's Note:**

> I haven’t written anything in ages. Decided to finish this little thing I had in my notes. Molly and cute kids- what’s not to like?


End file.
